Archkings and Antiqueens
by aetherling
Summary: Four children named Red, Green, Gold, and Lyra find a magical wardrobe and enter Narnia, where they discover they are part of a prophecy to end the reign of the White Warlock, and that they are not the first four children to enter Narnia... Contains Originalshipping (Red/Green) and Isshushipping (Black/N)...eventually.
1. In which Lyra enters the wardrobe

**Title:** Archkings and Antiqueens  
**Author:** aetherling  
**Verse:** Gameverse  
**Characters/Pairings:** Red, Green, Gold, and Lyra as the Pevensie children, Silver as Aslan, Giovanni as the White Witch. Black, White, Cheren, and Bianca as the other Pevensie children, N as the other Aslan, Ghestis as the other White Witch. Featuring Originalshipping (Red/Green) and Isshushipping (Black/N)  
**Rating:** PG-13  
**Warnings:** If you abhor extreme liberties taken with C. S. Lewis' _The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe_ (and by extension all the Christian allegories present in his work), children discovering sexuality, and/or children fighting in war, proceed no further.  
**Summary:** Four children named Red, Green, Gold, and Lyra find a magical wardrobe and enter Narnia, where they discover they are part of a prophecy to end the reign of the White Warlock, and that they are not the first four children to enter Narnia...  
**Notes:** A very, very loose retelling of _The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe_ as played by Pokemon characters. Shame on me for starting another story when Kingdom of Nothing is still unfinished, I know. Temporarily"borrowing" the story image from the internets because I think the spider picture is scaring everyone off. Enjoy your April Fools' Day/post-Easter chocolate-gorging sugar high.

I. In which Lyra enters the wardrobe

* * *

Once there were four children whose names were Red, Green, Gold, and Lyra. This story is about something extraordinary that happened to them when they were sent away during the war. They were sent to the lab of an old Professor who lived in the heart of the country where 2 houses and one laboratory were collectively called Pallet Town. He was a world renowned Pokemon researcher and he lived in his extremely large lab with 2 assistants who were displeased with their new babysitting assignments. Immediately after meeting their new guardian, the children were told by his head assistant not to disturb the Professor or the Pokemon in his lab, so they spent most of their time outdoors resigned to dull encounters with the Pidgeys and Rattatas in the oak-covered mountains.

"We've fallen on our feet and no mistake. This is going to be perfectly splendid," spat Green on their very first day. The children were sitting together in a grassy meadow just a few meters from the lab and Green was throwing rocks at a tree while Gold poked around the dirt with a stick.

"What's got your panties in a bunch, princess?" Red asked without looking up from watching Gold skewer a leaf.

"Piss off Red." Green threw his next rock with excessive force and hit a Pidgey, which screeched and flew away in anger. "Don't you dare start crying," he warned Lyra who gasped at the cruelty.

"I wasn't going to. And you can't tell me what I can or can't do." The youngest child stuck her tongue out defiantly.

"Hey, Viridian City is nearby right? Let's go on an adventure!" said Gold, throwing his stick on the ground and standing up.

"'_Adventures_'? We're too old to be playing pretend," sneered Green. "Besides, we're at my gramps' place and I'm the oldest so you have to listen to me."

Gold crossed his arms and frowned at him. "Fat chance."

"I think that's a good idea. We should go to Viridian City," said Red.

"Fine, you twerps have fun walking through Route 1 in the dark." Green pointed at the setting sun.

"We can go tomorrow," said Lyra. But when tomorrow came it was raining, the kind of rain that the Professor's head assistant flatly refused to let the children out into.

"I have another idea," said Lyra once she made sure the assistant was out of earshot. "Let's play hide and seek."

Green was about to groan but Red cut him off. "Good idea. This lab used to be a hundred-year-old mansion, we're bound to find lots of interesting stuff."

Lyra's eyes lit up. "I bet there'll be revolving bookcases and secret rooms!"

"I want to find the room with severed heads!" cried Gold as he dashed off right before Red could close his eyes and start counting. Lyra ran in the opposite direction while Green rudely bumped into Red's shoulder before taking off.

Lyra ran towards the back of the lab. The area wasn't completely renovated, so she opened both metal and wooden doors as she looked for an adequate hiding place. Many of the rooms were empty or used as storage space for the Professor's books and equipment. But Lyra wanted to hide the farthest from Red, so she ran upstairs where instead of concrete stairs the wooden floorboards creaked under her lightest steps. Already tired of opening and closing all the doors, Lyra headed straight for the one ajar door at the end of the hall and pushed it open. The room was devoid of furnishings aside from an old wardrobe nestled in the far right corner. Without hesitation she climbed into the wardrobe to hide among the fur coats, taking care to keep the doors slightly open. She expected reach the back of the wardrobe quickly, but to her astonishment the furs of the coats gave way to the firs of an evergreen forest, and the darkness of wardrobe gave way to white snow and to the warm yellow glow of a lamp-post. It was all extremely peculiar.

Lyra crept closer towards the lamppost, aware of how her footsteps crunched in the fresh snow. The lamp-post was not like the electric ones Lyra was used to; as she walked closer she could hear the hiss of gas burning into soft embers.

Immediately after touching the lamp-post to make sure it was real, Lyra felt like she was being watched. She turned around and gave a shriek when she saw standing behind her a brown-haired girl holding several parcels and an umbrella. The girl shrieked as well and dropped her parcels to hide behind the lamp-post.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" said Lyra, bending down to pick up the fallen parcels. "You surprised me."

"You surprised_ me_," the girl replied breathlessly.

As Lyra helped her up, she noticed the girl wore a simple black dress that reached up to her knees. Or, where her knees were supposed to be; instead of normal legs the girl had hairy, Sawsbuck-like legs.

"What's wrong with your legs?" Lyra asked.

"What?" The girl took her parcels from Lyra and looked down."What do you mean 'what's wrong'?"

"Why are your legs different?" Lyra stuck her leg out towards the girl for comparison.

"'Different'? Aren't these human legs?" The girl tried to stick hers out as well but she wobbled precariously. Lyra held her arm before she could topple over.

Lyra laughed. "No, these are human legs!" She slipped her foot out of her shoe and wiggled her toes for the girl.

"How would you know? Are you a Daughter of Eve?"

"I'm Lyra," Lyra said, not quite understanding her.

"So you are a human?"

"Well, _yeah_." Lyra found her questions extremely peculiar.

"Oh! I'm sorry. I've never met a human before. My name is Blue." Blue bowed low to Lyra, nearly dropping her parcels again. Her movement drew Lyra's eyes downwards, but to Lyra's surprise Blue had human legs now, just like hers. "So what brings you to Narnia?"

"What's Narnia?"

Blue laughed not unkindly, and that's when Lyra decided she liked her. "Narnia is what we're standing in! From the western woods to Cair Paravel beside the eastern sea, this is Narnia. Where it has been winter for a very long time."

"Oh. It's summer back where I come from. F-from a wardrobe in a spare room in a lab in Pallet Town."

Blue looked at Lyra with a puzzled and sad expression. "Hmm. I'm afraid I don't recognize those words. Maybe 'summer', but that's a distant memory. Hey, would you like to come over for tea? You seem cold and it's silly just standing in the snow to talk. There'll be a warm fireplace, and comfy chairs, and—and cake!"

Lyra smiled brightly. "That sounds amazing."

* * *

a.n.: gg Lyra next thing you know you'll wake up wearing an orange jumpsuit in an abandoned testing facility with only an insane computer for company and a gun that shoots portals


	2. In which Lyra and Blue have tea

II. In which Lyra and Blue have tea

* * *

Arm in arm and umbrella overhead, Blue led Lyra to what looked like a cave in a cliff from the outside. Once they were inside, Lyra saw by the light of a warm fire a homely place, complete with pictures, a bookshelf, two armchairs, a coffee table, a dresser and a large welcoming carpet underneath it all. Blue ushered Lyra into one of the armchairs while she hung a kettle over the fireplace and put plate after plate of scrumptious-looking dishes on the table. Lyra couldn't stop looking at everything-the pictures on the walls were full of unfamiliar Pokemon save for one of two Dittos placed on the mantelpiece above the fireplace, and the books on the bookshelf carried titles like _Luvdisc and the Floppy Disk: A Passionate Romance_ or _"Why Is My Internet Not Working" and Various Natural Human Calls_ or _Men, Shopping Carts, and Other Mythical Creatures_. Lyra's attention was torn away from the bookshelf when Blue put a perfectly-sized sponge cake topped with a fresh layer of icing next to a bowl of boiled eggs and a plate of buttered toast.

To Lyra, it was more like a meal rather than simple afternoon tea, but that did not detract from the pleasure she had dining with Blue, who told of many tales in the forests of Narnia and the lands beyond. As they sipped their tea (a strange flavor Lyra was sure she'd never encountered in her world), Blue would change shape to match the characters in her tales while Lyra sat rapt with attention, unsure if it was simply the firelight playing tricks on her eyes. Eventually she remembered with certainty about Blue's legs looking like Sawsbuck legs one moment and human legs later, so she broke her silence and asked Blue how she was able to transform.

"Why, it's simple for a Ditto. We were naturally born with this talent," Blue said with pride. "A few other Pokemon can transform, but they rely on magic, and their transformations aren't very good."

"So you don't normally look like this?"

"No, no." Blue put her cup down and closed her eyes. Lyra watched her transform from the brown-haired girl into the amorphous figure of a Ditto that Lyra had to stand and lean over the half-eaten cake to see. Then Blue transformed back into the brown-haired girl and resumed drinking her tea, smiling as if nothing happened.

"So you can transform into anything?"

"Yes, anything and everything."

"Then why were you walking in the woods trying to look like a human if you've never seen one before?"

"To lu-to meet you. When I first saw you in the forest, I didn't want to frighten you. I wanted to, to talk to you. Oh, you know what I've forgotten this whole time? Music!" Blue put down her cup and saucer clumsily and grabbed a flute from atop the mantelpiece. Before Lyra could recognize it as a Pokeflute, she started to play, and Lyra's eyes started to droop. It was an enchanted Pokeflute that put its listeners to sleep instead of waking them.

She must have slept for hours because when she woke, the fire had died down into glowing embers. She rubbed her eyes and said, "I'm really sorry for falling asleep Blue. It was-it's such a nice tune-" She remembered the game of hide-and-seek she was playing with the boys and now she was completely awake. "-oh no. The boys are probably worried that they can't find me. I have to go."

But Blue sat in her chair, not visibly registering anything Lyra said.

"Are you alright? Blue?"

"No. No. I'm not alright. I'm sick in the head." To Lyra's despair tears ran down Blue's cheeks. "Please go. Go far away from me."

"Why, what's wrong?" Lyra was afraid she had offended Blue somehow, and so to make amends she offered Blue a napkin.

"Thank you," Blue sniffed and dabbled her eyes with the napkin. "I don't deserve...oh, I am the worst Ditto ever born."

"I think you're a wonderful Ditto. You're the wonderfulest Ditto I've ever met," said Lyra.

Blue laughed sadly and shook her head. "No, no. My mother-" she looked up at the picture of 2 Dittos. "-she would never have done what I did."

"What, invite me over for tea?"

Blue shook her head. "Not that. She, she would never listen to the White Warlock. She would never work for him."

"What's wrong with that?"

"The White Warlock is the one who always makes it winter and never Christmas here in Narnia. He calls himself the King of Narnia but he is no king at all-he's a tyrant!"

Lyra thought for a bit before speaking slowly. "Well, if you know working for him is bad, can't you go and tell him you're quitting?"

Blue gave a nervous laugh. "It's too late. I've already done what he asked me to do. I've lured a Daughter of Eve to my home by transforming into a human and offering tea so she wouldn't suspect a thing. All to deliver her to the White Warlock."

Lyra turned very pale, but she spoke steadily. "But...you haven't taken me to the White Warlock this whole time. And you won't, will you? Because you don't want to."

"I, I don't want to," said Blue, shaking her head.

"See? You're not a bad Ditto." Lyra gave Blue her most comforting smile. "If it makes you feel any better, I prefer having tea with you instead of playing with the boys back home."

Blue couldn't help but smile. Then she said, "I must get you back home. It's not safe if you stay here any longer."

Blue led Lyra all the way back to the lamp-post. The return trip was extremely subdued and Blue insisted on keeping close to the shadows so they wouldn't be seen.

"But there's nothing but trees," protested Lyra.

"Some of the trees are on_ his_ side," Blue whispered.

"You won't get in trouble for letting me go, will you?"

"As long as no one saw us. You know the way back to...the land of summer?"

"Yes, but is it really ok if I just leave you like this?"

"I will be fine, Lyra, Daughter of Eve. Now go!" Blue gently nudged Lyra, who began walking towards the light coming from the other side of the wardrobe.

"But, you can come with me-"

"Go!"

Lyra took one last look at Blue, who looked so small and alone in the light of the lamp-post, and walked into the thickest part of the forest until the firs felt like furs. Soon enough she was closing the wardrobe door behind her and standing in the spare room on a rainy summer's day.

"I'm over here!" she shouted. "It's ok, I didn't get lost. You guys don't have to look for me anymore."

* * *

a.n: something for me to do while I wait for Age of Empires II HD to download


	3. In which Lyra is called a liar

iii. In which Lyra is called a liar

* * *

She heard heavy footsteps, and soon Red appeared in the doorway, looking confused. "Lyra, the point of the game is to stay hidden so I don't find you. Did you want to stop playing?"

"What? But I was gone for hours," Lyra protested. "Weren't you all wondering where I was?"

"What's up? Are we not playing anymore?" Gold emerged from the hallway to join them. "Because I'm fine with that. Or a redo. Red found me way too early."

Red gave Gold a pointed look. "You really think I wasn't going to find you literally standing behind me-"

"Hey, last place anyone would think of looking is right where they started-"

"What's going on?" Green's voice cut through their chatter.

"Lyra forgot how to play hide and seek," said Red.

"I did not!" Lyra said indignantly. "I was hiding in the wardrobe, except then I walked into a forest, and there was snow and a Ditto named Blue and I had tea for hours, I swear!"

The boys all looked at each other before unanimously heading over to the wardrobe for a closer examination. But when Gold opened the doors and pushed aside all the coats, they all saw the unmistakable mahogany finish of the backboard. Red even reached in to rap his knuckles against it.

"Seems pretty solid to me." He shrugged at the crestfallen Lyra.

"It's alright Lyra. The first step to recovery is admitting you're insane," said Green.

"But - it really happened," she insisted, voice oddly strained. "There was a land called Narnia and I was really there-"

"Shut up already!" Green said nastily. "How stupid do you think we are? This is such a waste of our time. I'm too old to be playing pretend with a _liar_."

Lyra dashed out of the room with a hand over her eyes, like she always does whenever she is about to cry.

"Girls." Green gave a long insufferable sigh.

"I don't understand," said Red. "She normally isn't like this at all."

"Girls are supposed to be crybabies Red, what more do you need to understand?" snapped Green a little more harshly than he intended.

"That's not what I'm talking about," Red shot back. He stomped out of the room, presumably to look for Lyra.

The rest of the week, Lyra remained inconsolable about the whole thing. Red and Gold tried to cheer her up in their own ways - Gold turned on the TV whenever her favorite shows were airing before growing bored (as children do very quickly) and playing pranks on her in the strange hope that her depression would be replaced with anger, and Red gave her his piece when the Professor passed out Turkish Delight - a rare treat especially during wartime. These kind (and questionably kind) acts only reminded Lyra about how no one would believe her, and she remained miserable long after they gave up. Green remained spiteful as ever; he would regularly tease her and ask if she's found a magical portal with talking Pokemon in the toilet yet, or speak slowly to her as if she was slow in the head. Eventually Lyra opted out from doing anything with the boys and stayed holed up in the lab even on warm sunny days excellent for swimming or travelling to Viridian City.

And soon, she began to doubt if any of it really happened at all. Maybe it was just a dream; her mind, she thought, was so affected by the loneliness that it came up with a best friend who lived in a different world to cope. She wasn't ready to accept that theory yet. Ever since that day, she hasn't gone to check the wardrobe, but now she has to know once and for all. So in the middle of the night, she crept out of her room and up the stairs into the spare room where she climbed into the wardrobe.

Her midnight journey did not go unnoticed. Green climbed into the wardrobe after her, intending to give her a good fright. To his surprise, the wardrobe seemed to go on for a while. Expecting the hit the backboard soon, he reached his hands out and felt branches instead of fur coats. "Lyra?" he called out. "Is that you? This isn't funny, putting branches in a wardrobe. It doesn't even belong to you." The branches grew in number though, and his footsteps sounded less wooden and more like crushed snow, and soon Green found himself walking through a snowy forest in his pajamas.

"Okay Lyra, if I'm not dreaming I think I believe you," he said to the empty air when he reached the lamp post. "Lyra?" He heard something in the distance and decided to head in that direction. "Lyra is that you?" The noise grew louder until he recognized they were sleigh bells. Green stood very still when he saw a Nidoking and Nidoqueen pair pulling a large black carriage in his direction. He was sure they would swerve around him, but a voice cried "Stop!", the carriage pulled over, and then he was looking into the black eyes of the White Warlock.

* * *

a.n: alternate title: In which the only word italicized in this very short chapter is "liar"


	4. In which Green encounters the Warlock

iv. In which Green encounters the Warlock

* * *

"_What_ do you think you are, obstructing the King of Narnia's way?" roared the carriage-driver. He leapt from his seat and advanced toward Green with his whip. Now that they were on the same level, Green saw he appeared humanoid, but his hands looked like they belonged to a Mewtwo's. "Well? Are you deaf or mute? Answer me!"

"I'm - I'm Green," Green stammered, nearly tripping over himself as he backed away from the whip-wielding figure.

"'Green'? There's no Pokemon called 'Green'. Maybe you'll feel like lying less after a lashing!"

"W-wait, stop, I'm not a Pokemon, I'm a boy!"

Green saw the carriage-driver's eyes widen before the White Warlock spoke, "Enough Proton. You're terrifying him."

From the ostentatiously decorated doors, the King emerged wearing a simple suit and carrying a black cane that fit perfectly in his human hands. Combined with his sleek short hair and his sinister smile, he resembled more like a mob boss than a king.

Proton was whispering to him loud enough for Green to hear, but not enough for him to understand, "But your Majesty! A Son of Adam! This may cause trouble, if _what was told_ is to be believed - "

"No matter. He is but one, and easily dealt with," the King hissed back. Then he faced Green with the most welcoming smile he could muster. "Please forgive my subordinate for his roughness. Are you lost? You look cold. Come sit with me in my carriage and I will wrap a warm blanket around you and we will talk."

Green was wary of entering a stranger's vehicle, but he did not dare disobey a king and his ill-tempered servant. The White Warlock guided Green to sit next to him on a velvet seat and seemingly out of nowhere drew the softest and thickest blanket around Green until he was snug.

"Would you like something hot to drink?"

"Um, yeah, sure," said Green. He quickly added a "Your Majesty" when he glimpsed Proton's angry expression from outside the open door (though Green wasn't sure if he just looked like that by default).

The King smiled and took his cane and leaned over, giving the snow one good tap. From where his cane left a dent, a silver goblet emerged and filled itself with a hot, butterscotch-colored liquid. It was left steaming on the ground until the King commanded Proton with his hand to bring it up to him and handed it to Green. Green had never tasted anything like it before; it was sweet and creamy and he felt the warmth of the drink trickle into his toes.

"How about something to eat, Son of Adam?"

Green didn't have to think long. "Turkish Delight please. Your Majesty."

Again the White Warlock tapped his cane into the snow and a box wrapped in a black ribbon emerged. Inside were the finest pieces of Turkish Delight in the whole world, and the best part was that Green got the whole box to himself. While he ate, the King asked rather inquisitive questions about his personal life, but the sweet sticky treat and the handsome man who provided them enchanted Green so much that he freely spoke, forgetting to say "your Majesty" altogether. It did not suit a boy like him anyways.

"_Four_ orphan children, altogether? You're sure there are four of you?"

"Yes, I already said that," said Green, annoyed that he was interrupted mid-bite. "3 guys and 1 girl. We all came from the same orphanage."

"I see. And are you the only one to enter Narnia through, what was it, the War Drobe?"

"Nah, Lyra came before. Said she had tea with a Blue Ditto or something. I got in here by following her when she was sneaking around at night."

"My, how awfully clever. Out of the four, clearly you must be the brightest."

"Damn straight." Green puffed up a little. "And I'm the oldest too. The other three are really nothing special. Lyra is such a little girl sometimes and Gold is seriously the biggest idiot that ever lived and Red - " Here Green finished chewing on a piece before continuing. " - Red is the biggest loser of all. All the adults, even my gramps, think he's so_ mature_ because he doesn't talk, but he doesn't talk any better than me when he does talk. And he always plays with those other two _babies_. He doesn't hang out with me anymore."

"Why, how foolish of him to turn down an opportunity to be with the most charming and handsome young man I've ever met." Green nodded furiously at the King's words. "And how foolish of your grandfather to not see that his own grandchild has so much potential. Potential worthy of a High King."

_Potential_...Green liked that word. No one ever described an orphan to have potential - it was already considered a success if they stayed at the fringes of a war-torn society without succumbing to addiction or death. By now Green had finished the entire box of Turkish Delight, and he looked at the King if he could magic some more. But the King smiled and and merely said, "Green, I am an old man with no heir to call my own, and I would love to have a special boy like you to be Prince at my castle."

"Can I have some more first?" Green asked and lifted the empty box for the White Warlock to see when it was clear his puppy eyes weren't working.

"I have rooms full of Turkish Delight in my castle. Next time you come, bring your friends along to share, but keep it a secret. Wouldn't they be pleasantly surprised to 'find' a castle full of Turkish Delight for them to enjoy?"

"Why would you want them to come?" said Green, a little disappointed. "They're nothing special."

"I know, but when you are Prince, and then King, you will need subjects to rule over. You will be High King of Narnia, and you may eat all the Turkish Delight you want with no one to object. Everyone will have to listen to you then, even Red. He will be yours to command."

Green felt something stir inside him with those words. They made him feel good; like he was important - like he _mattered_. He disembarked the carriage in silence, already reveling in his magnificence.

"Now, my castle is in between those two hills there." The King pointed in the distance with his cane. "Next time you come, promise me you'll bring all of your friends. And remember, keep it a surprise, it will be our fun little secret between the two of us if you don't tell them about me, especially if the girl has already met a Ditto - they tell all sorts of nasty lies with their disguises." The King was seated comfortably in his carriage again and Proton was getting ready to resume his carriage-driving duties as Green stood in the snow.

"Wait! Can't I have just one more piece?" he pleaded.

The King chuckled and shook his head. "Not now, but next time. See you soon!" He knew the treat was enchanted so that its consumer will always crave more, and given the opportunity, continue eating themselves to death. The boy would be useless to him then.

Green walked back to the lamp-post, annoyed and cold again. He wasn't really looking at where he was going, and he nearly ran into Lyra.

"Green! You found the way in!" she said in delight. "Oh this is great. Gold and Red have to believe us now that both of us are here!"

"Where were you?" he asked crossly. "I was looking for you the whole time!"

"Well if I knew you were coming I would have waited for you. I was at Blue's place for tea again and she was alright and unharmed by the White Warlock for letting me go. She thinks he never found out so it looks like everything's going to be alright and we can bring the others and have so much fun - "

"Wait. Who is this White Warlock?"

Lyra made a face before continuing, "The White Warlock is an awful sorcerer who calls himself King of Narnia, but he has no right to be king. He rides in an ugly black carriage with the cruelest driver and he carries a black cane he uses to turn people into stone, and all the good Pokemon left absolutely hate him because he makes them do terrible things for him when they don't want to." She paused to take a breath. "And he's the one who makes it winter forever in Narnia but never Christmas."

"How do you never have Christmas? That makes no sense at all. Time doesn't just stop like that. Besides, you can't believe everything your Ditto says. They lie a lot," Green added.

"How would you know?"

"Well everyone knows its in their nature to deceive. Common sense, Lyra. Seriously if you weren't growing taller I'd swear you're growing backwards. C'mon, let's go home. I'm cold."

"Okay!" Lyra was too happy to let Green sour her mood. "Let's tell Red and Gold. We're going to have great adventures!"

"Yeah, yeah, keep it down." Green was feeling a little sick from all the Turkish Delight he ate, combined with the news that the man he just conversed with might be an evil warlock. Might. Upon further thinking, he reasoned that the King couldn't be bad because he sat with Green and called him wonderful things and magicked delicious food with his cane instead of turning Green into stone. Green plodded behind Lyra's skipping, telling himself these thoughts, and pondered how he would get the others to believe him instead of Lyra so they will go to the King's castle and he can eat more Turkish Delight.

* * *

a.n.: don't mind me, just putting ostentatious words like ostentatious in a children's story


	5. In which Green is a lying liar who lies

v. In which Green is a lying liar who lies

* * *

Lyra bolted out of the wardrobe before Green could stop her and ran loudly downstairs. Green cursed; he was sure she woke everyone up with all that racket. Lyra did not stop until she burst into the room where Red and Gold slept and shook them awake. "Red! Gold! It's real, I told you, Narnia's real! Green was there too this time, ask him if you don't believe me and he'll tell you guys all about it!"

"Dude," Gold groaned. "It's the _middle of the night_ Ly, you know how I need my 9 hours of sleep."

"Oh c'mon, what are you, an old grandpa already? You can afford to spare 1 or 2 hours. Get up! Redredred! Wake up!" Now Lyra was shaking Red, who gave a long suffering groan and sat up like a zombie.

"Damn Lyra, do you have to be so loud?" hissed Green when he finally entered the room and turned the light on.

"Wh - " Red was interrupted by his own yawn. "What's going on? Green?"

Lyra finally stopped shaking him to say, "Green, tell them, tell them how you were in Narnia too!"

Now Red and Gold were both looking at him expectantly. But Green did not want to admit in front of everyone that Lyra was right and that maybe he shouldn't have teased her so much the past week. Besides, why should he apologize first? Why should he yield to the youngest of them all? Why couldn't they see one day he will rule as High King over them all? Why couldn't he just have _one more piece_?

So Green gave an exaggerated sigh, drew himself up so he towered over everyone, as is his right as eldest, and said, "Yeah, Lyra and I were just playing around, pretending we found an imaginary country in her wardrobe, but I didn't think she'd actually believe it was all _real_."

Poor Lyra's spirits were crushed. She sobbed, "How_ could_ you?" and bolted out of the room before they could see her cry. There was an awful silence Green felt obligated to break.

"There she goes again," He sighed in an exaggerated manner again. "Girls, amiright?"

"What was that for?" Gold fumed. "Do you get off from making her cry all the time?" He ran after her.

Green was taken aback by their (in his personal opinion) over the top reactions. He turned to Red, but Red wouldn't even look at him before he fled from Green's presence, as if being in the same room with him was poisonous. Green was left alone again, but this time he definitely did not feel like a High King.

* * *

"It seems that my head assistant's mental well-being has gone missing ever since you four moved in," the Professor remarked, sitting across the table from Red and Gold. They were seated in the Professor's office, presumably there to be admonished for the commotion that woke everyone up. Meanwhile Lyra was being comforted by the more sympathetic assistant in the kitchen and Green had hidden somewhere specifically to avoid Red and Gold's predicament.

"We're really, really sorry," said Red. "It's just...Lyra, she's got an overactive imagination."

"Yeah," said Gold. "And your grandson is a complete dic - " Red stepped on his foot discreetly before Gold could finish.

"So," the Professor said. "What is wrong with Lyra and her imagination?"

"She thinks she's found this magic place called Narnia in a wardrobe upstairs where Pokémon can talk and have tea. And she's been playing this game for a whole week now - it's not like her to act this way," explained Red.

"Hmm, I see." The Professor directed his scrutinizing gaze upon Red, making Red involuntarily squirm a little. "And you were close enough with her back in the orphanage to know that?"

To Red's relief, Gold answered him, "I was. I mean, I am. We're best pals. And I know she's not like this usually, she wouldn't get upset over something that's made up."

"Then what makes you two think it's not real?"

"Well..." Red was taken aback. Out of all the people Red knew, he least expected the Professor, a man of science, to not dismiss this fantasy immediately. "It's impossible! Entire regions can't fit inside a wardrobe."

"But if it is as you said, that all this is unlike her," said the Professor as if it was all very simple, "then maybe she's telling the truth."

Red could not believe what he heard. "But Green said he was just pretending with her earlier, that's why she's crying - "

"And I suppose he is more truthful than her?" the Professor asked unmercifully.

"I..." Red was unsure how to respond without inadvertently offending the grandfather of Green Oak. But Gold had no trouble speaking his mind.

"I'll believe Lyra's words over Green's 'till the day I die," he boldly said.

"Then there you have it. If she's not crazy and she's not lying, then we must assume that she's telling the truth. Now," The Professor got up to leave, "get some sleep. And tell that grandson of mine to stop hiding and return to bed already."

* * *

a.n.: long wait for a short update :V


	6. In which Red and Gold enter the wardrobe

vi. In which Red and Gold enter the wardrobe

* * *

Neither of the children mentioned Narnia or the wardrobe again afterwards. Even Green put his teasing on hold. (Whether it was of his own volition or because he was eventually reprimanded by his grandfather remains a mystery.) The children enjoyed several prime summer days of playing outside and exploring the area, and for a while it seemed like that strange chapter in their lives was over for good. But several shattered laboratory equipment later, the four children were running into the wardrobe to hide from the Professor's irate head assistant.

"Shouldn't we just face him and get it over with so we don't get into more trouble?" Lyra breathlessly asked.

"Get your logic out of here!" said Gold. He flung open the double doors of the wardrobe and dashed inside. Lyra was next, then Green, and then Red, who closed the doors (save for a small crack, as it is foolish to shut oneself up in a wardrobe) amidst all the complaining from the other three.

"Gold, you're on my foot," Green hissed. "Move back some more already - "

"Ugh, what's that smell? Did you let one rip Ly?" said Gold.

"Ow! You hit my nose," said Lyra. Gold had waved his hand over his nose a little too dramatically.

"Shut up already, or we're gonna get caught - " Red gasped a little too loudly as something hard poked his arm. "What was that?" Everyone became still and fell silent.

"What was what?" Green asked.

"Is this a...branch?" There was a snapping noise as Red blindly grabbed at it.

"I don't know if it's just me but did someone turn on the AC in here?" asked Gold.

"Don't be ridiculous," said Green. "There wouldn't be AC installed in a hundred-year-old wardrobe."

"It's getting colder," Gold insisted. The others all had to agree with him when their footsteps began to sound like crunching snow.

"Hey, I see a light over there," said Red. "Wait. There's an entire forest over there!" They all hurried toward the same direction, nearly tripping over roots and each other, until they emerged into a clearing where they could clearly see the snowy forest in the twilight.

"Whoa," said Gold. "Whoa. I think we're really in Lyra's wardrobe world."

Though they came here before, the beauty of the snowy land did not cease to mesmerize Lyra and (secretly) Green. But among the children Red was most transfixed. His eyes were wide open but they were not big enough to take in all the wonder, and his stillness rivaled those of the surrounding trees.

"Is this for real?" Gold asked next to him.

Red slowly nodded, unsure if he is really dreaming, and simply said, "It's pretty."

They would have been content to stand there in silence like that for just a few more seconds, but then Green said, "Well, we should head over to the lamppost if we want to get our bearings - "

Everyone stared at him right as he realized his mistake. "I, I mean, I think I saw a lamp-post - "

"So you were lying this whole time," said Red. He gave Green an unpleasant smile and it was a miracle Green didn't shrivel up and die right there and then. "You have been here."

"And you said Lyra was the liar!" said Gold. He was not smiling one bit. "Say you're sorry!"

"You guys didn't believe her either!" Green protested.

But Gold would not back down. "Say it!"

"Forget it, you guys," Lyra said. "I don't need his apology." They all knew Hell would freeze over before Green would ever give a sincere apology, and Gold resented him even more for that.

"Then I will apologize for not believing you," said Red. "I'm sorry, Lyra."

"Yeah, same here," said Gold, not to be outdone by Red.

"Well," said Red. "I think we should let Lyra decide what to do from here. Out of the two of us who've been here, she is the most reliable after all."

"Okay!" Lyra's entire countenance lit up. It seemed like the whole forest grew brighter with her. "I want you guys to meet my best friend Blue!"

Gold started, "Thought I was your best friend - " before he was cut off by Red.

"Let's go then. Lead the way!"

The other two had to convince Red that not all of them can traverse through the snow in just their summer outfits, and so they borrowed a few coats (and plucked out the camphor that produced the smell Gold complained about earlier) from the wardrobe before setting off with Green sullenly lagging behind the happy trio, thinking that he didn't deserve any of this. Lyra led the boys by memory to the cave in the cliff, but upon seeing the broken door from a distance her footsteps faltered and dread filled her little body.

"Is that it?" asked Green. "Doesn't look like much."

"Shut it!" said Gold. "Something's wrong."

"Lyra!" shouted Red. She had started running towards the wreck, and they ran after her. "Wait!"

Lyra did not stop until she entered the once inviting cave and gave an involuntary gasp at what she saw. The place was completely ruined: burnt wood and ashes from the fire were scattered all over the beautiful carpet, armchairs were slashed and smashed against walls, and plates and cups were in pieces on the floor. The pile of snow gathered in front of the door also indicated that no one has lived here for a while.

"Lyra, look," said Red, and he knelt to pick up a piece of paper nailed to the carpet on the ground.

"What's it say?" Gold asked. Red began to read:

_"The former occupant of these premises, the Ditto Blue, is under arrest and awaiting her trial on a charge of High Treason against his Imperial Majesty Giovanni, King of Narnia, Châtelain of Cair Paravel, Emperor of the Lone Islands, etc., also of comforting his said Majesty's enemies, harboring spies and fraternizing with Humans. Signed Ariana, Captain of the Secret Police. Long live the King._"

An uncomfortable silence fell upon the room as they looked at each other.

"I don't think it's a good idea for us to stay here any longer," said Gold.

"But we have to help Blue!" Lyra cried.

"I don't think we can do much if she was arrested just for being with a human," said Red.

"No, don't you see? I'm the human she was arrested for! The King must have found out she helped me. We have to rescue her."

"Don't worry Ly, we'll think of something," said Gold. He did not really believe himself though, and still found the idea of leaving immediately more appealing.

Green remained strangely quiet and pretended to be very interested in the carpet. Then the children heard something speak from behind them.

"Pika."

Green jumped behind Red (a cowardly moment he would vehemently deny in the future) as they turned around to see a Pikachu standing just outside the doorway. It waved to them, then it ran away.

"Is it just me, or does that Pikachu want us to follow it?" asked Gold.

"Let me ask." Lyra walked up to the Pikachu. "Excuse me, do you know where Blue is and how we can help her?"

To everyone else's surprise, the Pikachu nodded and motioned them to follow.

"How do we know it's not leading us into a trap?" Green asked suspiciously.

No one ever expected Red of all people to respond, "But it's so adorable. Look at it! Something that cute can't be bad." He ran out the door to follow it, and the others followed suit, wondering where this side of Red came from.

The Pikachu was waiting for them outside. It ran deeper into the woods, occasionally pausing for a while to let the children catch up. This went on for at least several minutes, but Lyra and Gold were extremely eager to catch the Pikachu. Behind the energetic duo, Green motioned Red to fall back a bit until they were briskly walking side by side.

"If you're not still too high and mighty to talk to me - "

"Well, I'm here with you rather than up there, aren't I?"

"Listen! How do we know if this Pikachu isn't leading us to somewhere dangerous? How do we even know if it's on the good side?"

Red was hard-pressed to explain that they were following the Pikachu on what was essentially his intuition. "It doesn't seem bad. None of the bad guys in the stories I've read use Pikachus. I don't think it's on the wrong side."

"That's another thing. What is the good side and the bad side? We don't know anything about this world. What if Lyra's Ditto friend is really on the bad side and befriended her to make her think she's on the good side, and we're lucky that the King arrested her before she could harm Lyra?"

"I didn't think about it that way."

"Are you still mad at me?"

"What?" Green's question came out of nowhere, and Red nearly stopped in his tracks. He was uncertain how to respond, so there was a significant pause before he finally asked, "Does it even matter?"_ ...to you_.

"You don't talk to me anymore."

"For good reason."

"Yeah? Think you're better than me - than all of us just cuz my gramps said you were all mature-r?"

"No, I don't talk to you because you always have to act like a jerk!"

"Well screw you too!"

Red opened his mouth to shoot another remark, but instead he clenched his jaw and briskly walked ahead. According to unofficial fight rules Green won because he had the last word, but he did not feel victorious at all as he walked all alone, snubbed and in the rear. "I'll show you, you arrogant prick," he seethed silently. "I'll show all of you!"

Just when they were all wondering how much longer the Pikachu was going to lead them for, the Pikachu dashed out of sight into a thicket of bushes. "Now what?" Gold wondered aloud when they gathered around the thick bush. It would be impossible to follow it anymore.

"Over here," said a voice. The children looked all around but they couldn't find who was speaking to them until Green spotted a short and green Pokemon peek at them from behind a tree. It pressed a digit to its mouth, then beckoned them to enter a thicker part of the forest. Gold was the first to run over.

"Are you a_ talking_ Treecko?" he said in both a whisper and a shout.

"What, as opposed to a non-talking Treecko?" the Treecko asked. "Name's Ruby. From here on out, I will be your guide."

"Wait," said Lyra. "Do you know where Blue - "

"Shh!" Ruby gave a quick look around the area. "It's not safe to talk here. We better head somewhere suited for talking before nightfall."

"Why?" Red asked. Ruby looked at him briefly and for a moment he felt strange, being stared down by a Treecko.

But Ruby answers all the same, "Night is when _his_ creatures come out to terrorize the forest. Don't want to get caught in the middle of that. _Especially_ humans."

"And how can we trust you aren't one of them?" Red asked.

"Because they can't do this properly." To their astonishment, the Treecko glowed and began to transform; he grew bigger and bigger until he stood taller above the children as a perfect replication of a human boy. Almost perfect, save for the strange white hair that Lyra couldn't decide whether it was real or just a hat. "But not without help from a Ditto that has met a human." From his pocket jacket he pulled out a handkerchief and handed it to Lyra.

"This was Blue's," said Lyra once she recognized it. "The one I gave her to dry her eyes with."

"That's right. Poor girl. She knew about her arrest beforehand, though there was little she could do about it, and she asked me to meet you here and - " Ruby trails off, nodding rather than speaking. "First I must bring you all somewhere safe."

He leapt ahead, transforming back into a Treecko, and the children followed at a faster pace than earlier. "How did he do that?" Gold asked Lyra, his mouth agape.

Lyra just shook her head and said, "Magic."

They followed Ruby for quite some time until they were plenty exhausted, cold, and tired. And a little hungry. Just when Gold was about to ask how much farther they had to travel, they reached the top of a hill looking down on a frozen lake. On the lake was a large dam, and on top of the dam was a little house made of sticks complete with windows and a chimney spewing smoke out into the winter air.

"Oh, smells like we're going to have a great dinner tonight," said Ruby, and that was all the children needed to hear before they raced down the hill. Green was the last to follow though; he noticed the lake led to a river, and beyond the river lay a valley overlooked by the same two hills the King had pointed out to him. Beyond those hills stands the castle of a powerful man, a man who thinks Green deserves to be High King. _How would Red like that?_ he thought, and horrible ideas infected his mind like a virus.

* * *

a.n.: i am so good at the orignalshipping i made negative progress

also it's test + con season with a dose of writer's block so don't expect an update until mid-July


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